An Introduction To Theoretical Kinematics

Introduction to Theoretical Kinematics provides a uniform presentation of the mathematical foundations required for studying the movement of a kinematic chain that makes up robot arms, mechanical hands, walking machines, and similar mechanisms. It is a concise and readable introduction that takes a more modern approach than other kinematics texts and introduces several useful derivations that are new to the literature. The author employs a unique format, highlighting the similarity of the mathematical results for planar, spherical, and spatial cases by studying them all in each chapter rather than as separate topics. For the first time, he applies to kinematic theory two tools of modern mathematics - the theory of multivectors and the theory of Clifford algebras - that serve to clarify the seemingly arbitrary nature of the construction of screws and dual quaternions. The first two chapters formulate the matrices that represent planar, spherical, and spatial displacements and examine a continuous set of displacements which define a continuous movement of a body, introducing the "tangent operator." Chapter 3 focuses on the tangent operators of spatial motion as they are reassembled into six-dimensional vectors or screws, placing these in the modern setting of multivector algebra. Clifford algebras are used in chapter 4 to unify the construction of various hypercomplex "quaternion" numbers. Chapter 5 presents the elementary formulas that compute the degrees of freedom or mobility, of kinematic chains, and chapter 6 defines the structure equations of these chains in terms of matrix transformations. The last chapter computes the quaternion form of the structure equations for ten specific mechanisms. These equations define parameterized manifolds in the Clifford algebras, or "image spaces," associated with planar, spherical, and spatial displacements. McCarthy reveals a particularly interesting result by showing that these parameters can be mathematically manipulated to yield hyperboloids or intersections of hyperboloids.

Classic, comprehensive treatment covers Euclidean displacements; instantaneous kinematics; two-position, three-position, four-and-more position theory; special motions; multiparameter motions; kinematics in other geometries; and special mathematical methods.

The book deals with kinematics of mechanisms. It focuses on a solid theoretical foundation and on mathematical methods applicable to the solution of problems of very diverse nature. Applications are demonstrated in a large number of fully worked-out problems. In kinematics a wide variety of mathematical tools is applicable. In this book, wherever possible vector equations are formulated instead of lengthy scalar coordinate equations. The principle of transference is applied to problems of very diverse nature. 15 chapters of the book are devoted to spatial kinematics and three chapters to planar kinematics. In Chapt. 19 nonlinear dynamics equations of motion are formulated for general spatial mechanisms. Nearly one half of the book is dealing with position theory and the other half with motion. The book is intended for use as reference book for researchers and as textbook in advanced courses on kinematics of mechanisms.

This book gives an overview of classical topics in fluid dynamics, focusing on the kinematics and dynamics of incompressible inviscid and Newtonian viscous fluids, but also including some material on compressible flow. The topics are chosen to illustrate the mathematical methods of classical fluid dynamics. The book is intended to prepare the reader for more advanced topics of current research interest.

The second edition of this book would not have been possible without the comments and suggestions from students, especially those at Columbia University. Many of the new topics introduced here are a direct result of student feedback that helped refine and clarify the material. The intention of this book was to develop material that the author would have liked to have had available as a student. Theory of Applied Robotics: Kinematics, Dynamics, and Control (2nd Edition) explains robotics concepts in detail, concentrating on their practical use. Related theorems and formal proofs are provided, as are real-life applications. The second edition includes updated and expanded exercise sets and problems. New coverage includes: components and mechanisms of a robotic system with actuators, sensors and controllers, along with updated and expanded material on kinematics. New coverage is also provided in sensing and control including position sensors, speed sensors and acceleration sensors. Students, researchers, and practicing engineers alike will appreciate this user-friendly presentation of a wealth of robotics topics, most notably orientation, velocity, and forward kinematics.

This book discusses the fundamental principles and equations governing the motion of incompressible Newtonian fluids, and simultaneously introduces numerical methods for solving a broad range of problems. Appendices provide a wealth of information that establishes the necessary mathematical and computational framework.

The study of the kinematics and dynamics of machines lies at the very core of a mechanical engineering background. Although tremendous advances have been made in the computational and design tools now available, little has changed in the way the subject is presented, both in the classroom and in professional references. Fundamentals of Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines and Mechanisms brings the subject alive and current. The author's careful integration of Mathematica software gives readers a chance to perform symbolic analysis, to plot the results, and most importantly, to animate the motion. They get to "play" with the mechanism parameters and immediately see their effects. The downloadable resources contain Mathematica-based programs for suggested design projects. As useful as Mathematica is, however, a tool should not interfere with but enhance one's grasp of the concepts and the development of analytical skills. The author ensures this with his emphasis on the understanding and application of basic theoretical principles, unified approach to the analysis of planar mechanisms, and introduction to vibrations and rotordynamics.

This book is an introduction to the mathematical theory of design for articulated mechanical systems known as linkages. The focus is on sizing mechanical constraints that guide the movement of a work piece, or end-effector, of the system. The function of the device is prescribed as a set of positions to be reachable by the end-effector; and the mechanical constraints are formed by joints that limit relative movement. The goal is to find all the devices that can achieve a specific task. Formulated in this way the design problem is purely geometric in character. Robot manipulators, walking machines, and mechanical hands are examples of articulated mechanical systems that rely on simple mechanical constraints to provide a complex workspace for the end- effector. The principles presented in this book form the foundation for a design theory for these devices. The emphasis, however, is on articulated systems with fewer degrees of freedom than that of the typical robotic system, and therefore, less complexity. This book will be useful to mathematics, engineering and computer science departments teaching courses on mathematical modeling of robotics and other articulated mechanical systems. This new edition includes research results of the past decade on the synthesis of multi loop planar and spherical linkages, and the use of homotopy methods and Clifford algebras in the synthesis of spatial serial chains. One new chapter on the synthesis of spatial serial chains introduces numerical homotopy and the linear product decomposition of polynomial systems. The second new chapter introduces the Clifford algebra formulation of the kinematics equations of serial chain robots. Examples are use throughout to demonstrate the theory.